


Evaluation

by Warp28



Series: Titans 24 [2]
Category: Justice League - All Media Types, Teen Titans - All Media Types, Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Multi, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:14:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26329240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp28/pseuds/Warp28
Series: Titans 24 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1840180
Comments: 5
Kudos: 3





	1. Speedy

Location – Titans Tower VR training room

The elevator dinged and everyone walked out into the training area on the second floor. As Garfield had said, it had several weights and exercise machines. There was even a large machine in the back that, instead of measuring in pounds, measured in tons. The rec area included a firing range and sparing ring. There was even training posts and punching bags for extra training.   
On the opposite side of the rec room, Garfield stood, tablet in hand, in front of a sliding metal door. When everyone gathered in front of him, he looked down at his watch. “Forty-five minutes.” He nodded. “Not bad considering I gave you an hour.” He entered something on his tablet. He looked up and looked at everyone. “Everyone is also present and fully geared up, also good.” He typed in something else. He finished and said, “Now behind this door is our Virtual Reality Training Room, or the VRTR. Now, I know I said you could use any part of the Tower as you see fit, but I would recommend not using this room unless myself or a Justice League member is present. Am I clear?” Everyone nodded. “Good. Now, the point of this is for me to assess your ability to adapt in stressful situations and to determine your combat prowess. We will do this one at a time. When you aren’t in the VRTR, I want you in the observation platform with me. That being said, don’t expect every session to be the same. I have modified these to cater to each of you specifically. Also,” He looked over at Nightstar and Superboy before saying, “Don’t worry about destroying this room. We had Superman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg go nuts in there and they didn’t leave a scratch.”  
He took a deep breath, checked to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, and said, “So who wants to go first?” No one said anything at first. “Come on now guys, no need to be nervous.” After a minute of silence, Speedy stepped forward and said he would go. Garfield smiled. “I figured you’d be first. So, when we step through here, you’ll see another door with a light above it. When the light goes from red to green, then you go, understood?” Speedy nodded. “Good.”   
Garfield put his hand on the pad next to the door. There was a beep and the door opened. Like Garfield said, there was a door with a red light above it. To the right of that was a small lift which led to the observation platform. Speedy stood in front of the door and the others went to lift. As she passed by him, Ha-ha whispered, “Break a leg.” Speedy nodded. When everyone had gone up the lift, leaving him alone, Speedy took a deep breath and got in a ready stance. After a minute, the light went from red to green, the door opened, and he ran through.

Location – Star City?

Speedy stood on a rooftop, the wind rustling his hood. He looked around and didn’t see anything but the city scape before him. He reached down and felt the rough concrete of the roof. He stood up and could smell the city air and hear the traffic below. He looked over the edge and could see the cars driving below. He looked behind and could see the roof access door that he, supposedly, went through.   
He took a few steps forward looking around as he did. He took four steps before he heard a loud explosion. He ran to the edge and saw a building on fire below him. He reached back in his quiver, pulled out a grapple arrow. He fired it swung to a lower vantage point, which was a balcony below him. He landed and looked. Walking out of the building were ten men wearing red skull masks. He first checked their weapons, automatic except for one that had a shotgun. Next civilians, everyone on the street had cleared away, but two of the masked men had a hostage each. A young pregnant woman and an older man. Now a quick survey of the area. Open street with very little vantage points. Cars filling the street, one was on fire, presumably from the blast.  
First things first, hostages. No time to be picky. He drew two arrows and took aim. When the two hostage holders were in range and close enough together, he fired. His arrows hit both of the men in the shoulder, dropping their guns and releasing their hostages. The hostages both ran off as the other men looked up and saw Speedy.  
He crouched down and whispered, “Here we go.” As soon as the first shot was fired, he jumped off of the balcony, rolled off the hood of a nearby car, and crouched behind the car. As bullets hit the car, he drew a flash arrow, and fired into the group. As soon as he fired, he ducked back behind cover. There was a small bang and a bright flash. He had thirty seconds. He moved to a closer vantage point, and fired four quick shots, disarming the closest men. He then fired four dull tip arrows and knocked them out. Inside his head he counted, six down, four to go.  
He moved to the sidewalk side of the car and readied two shock arrows. He sat and listened. He heard four sets of boots walking towards him. He waited till they were a bit closer then fell to his back and fired. The two arrows hit two of the men. The was a loud zapping sound and the two men fell, convulsing. When they fell, Speedy ran to the front of the car. He waited before standing up and hitting one in the back of the head with his bow. He dropped and was still.  
Speedy looked, and felt something was wrong. He looked around. The first two he shot were still on the ground groaning with arrows in their shoulders. He saw the four he had knocked out around the cars. Then saw the two he hit with shock arrows still convulsing and the one he had just knocked out. He was missing one.  
He then heard a gun cock behind him and he quickly drew out an arrow and nocked it as he spun around. The final masked man had a small caliber handgun, and it was pointing at the head of a girl who was crying and looked very similar to Olivia. He was caught off guard for a minute.  
The man pressed the gun to her head and said in a gruff voice, “Drop the bow!” Connor didn’t at first. “Do it! Or the kid dies!” The little girl started to cry harder.  
Speedy held up his hand. “Wait! Wait, please.” He put his arrow up and threw his bow down. He then put his hands behind his head. The man chuckled, pointed the gun at Speedy, and fired. As quick as he could, Speedy fell to his knees, the bullet flying overhead, and threw one of the flechettes on his wrist at the man. Hitting him in the wrist. The man screamed and let the girl go. As soon as the girl was clear, Speedy sprung up ran, jumped up and punched down on the man’s face. The man hit the ground and passed out.   
Speedy exhaled and rested his hands on his knees. Then he walked over and grabbed up his bow. When stood up he heard the familiar sound of an arrow being released. He ducked out of the way in time to hear an arrow stick itself in a car, where his head would have been. He looked at the arrow. Based on the design of the fletching’s and shaft, and on how deep it went into the car, Connor could safely assume it was a League of Assassins arrow. What made him nervous, was that the arrow was solid black.  
Speedy scanned a nearby rooftop and saw a dark figure standing at the edge of the opposite building, a bow in his hand. Speedy drew out an arrow and fired at the figure. Instead of moving, the figure caught the arrow and threw it to the side. Speedy drew a flash and fired it in the air. There was a bright flash and Speedy fired a grappling arrow at the adjacent building. He climbed it until he was on the rooftop. He spun around and drew another arrow back. Except when he did, the figure was gone.  
Speedy looked around, trying to find him. Then he heard a voice from behind him. A soft, sinister voice. “You think your theatrics can stop me, boy? You insult me.” Speedy felt his heart drop into his stomach. He spun around and fired at the man behind him, which he caught again. The man, who was tall in an all-black suit, was pale with dark slick back hair, a dark goatee, and cold, dark eyes.   
Merlyn, or The Dark Archer, stared at the arrow. “Is that your best? I’d assume the apprentice of the Green Arrow could fire better than that. Pity.” Speedy, feeling the blood rush to his face, fired six more arrows at Merlyn. All of which he dodged. Then, in one swift movement, Merlyn spun, jumped and kicked Speedy in the chest. Making Speedy drop his bow.  
Merlyn threw his own bow to the side and drew out a scimitar. “I won’t let you insult me with your pitiful archery skills. Stand and face me.”  
Speedy reached behind his back, in a compartment in his quiver, where he pulled out two handles which, when activated, held two escrima sticks. It took everything Speedy had to keep up with Merlyn’s sword attacks. Every time he tried to strike; Meryn was there to block. Every time speedy blocked one attack, Merlyn simply spun and attacked again. Speedy never realized how fast he was before. Finally, Speedy locked one of the sticks with Merlyn’s sword, and used the other to strike his arm.  
Speedy held one of the sticks to Merlyn’s face. “Yield.”  
Merlyn smiled. “You think you won?” And he spun around and struck Speedy right on the chin. Speedy hit the ground, dropping his escrima sticks as he did. Merlyn tried to step down on Speedy’s head. He rolled to avoid the attack and jumped up in a fighting stance. Merlyn rolled his shoulder and also took a stance.  
Much like the sword fight, Speedy tried his best to keep up. He got a few hits in on Merlyn, but for his every hit, Merlyn struck back with three hits. As the fight progressed, Speedy felt his movements start to get slower and arms felt heavier. He needed to think of something soon, or he wouldn’t win.   
Then, when Speedy went for a hit, Merlyn grabbed his arm, spun him around and forced Speedy to his knees. “Shame that that was your best. At least your predecessor could fight worth a damn. Now yield, boy!”   
Speedy looked at the ground, and saw one of the arrows he had fired earlier. He then chuckled and said, “You’re right, I’m not like the other Speedy. And you know something, that’s fine.” He grabbed up the arrow and stabbed Merlyn in the leg with it. Merlyn growled and let him go. Speedy stood up as Merlyn yanked the arrow out. “Cause the other Speedy, like Green Arrow, believed in a fair fight.” Speedy dodged a hit and punched Merlyn in his fresh wound. Making him scream. “I on the other hand was taught that a fair fight,” He kicked Merlyn in the face, making him hit the ground. “is nothing more than bullshit that bad fighters make up.” He pulled out one of his flechettes, sat on Merlyn’s chest, pinning his arms down, and held the flechettes to his throat. “Now, YOU yield.”  
Merlyn chuckled. “You won’t kill me. It’s not in your nature.”  
Speedy pressed the flechettes deeper into his throat, leaned in close, and whispered, “Are you sure about that?”  
Merlyn smiled. “Actually, I am.” He then lowered his head onto the ground, got a blank stare in his eyes, and said in a mechanical voice, “Simulation complete; Data collected”  
Then, in an almost blinding light, the area went from a rooftop, to a VERY large, empty white room. Speedy looked down and saw that he was crouched on top of a white robot with no face. Just a single red light in the center.  
Speedy stood up and heard Garfield over an intercom, “Very well done Speedy. I have a few notes for you, but we can go over that later. Go ahead through the door and we’ll reset.” Speedy nodded, grabbed up his bow and escrima sticks, and walked to the door. When he got through, he noticed on the right was a small shelf that wasn’t there before. He looked and saw that it held all the arrows he had used. He was a little surprised. He didn’t realize he used so many.   
As he picked them up, he heard the lift whir and he looked and saw Sparrow coming down. When she got close, the mechanical door closed and the red light came on.   
She got closer and Speedy smiled and asked, “How’d it look?”  
She smiled and nodded. “It was impressive. Both the simulator and you’re fighting.”  
Speedy nodded. “What did Garfield think?”  
Sparrow thought for a minute. “I’m not sure. I’m usually pretty good at reading people, but he was hard to gauge. I think he was impressed. He made a few notes.” Speedy nodded and put his arrows up. “Is it hard?” He looked at her confused. “In there I mean. You looked like you were in your element.”  
Speedy nodded. “Let me put it this way, if I had been in there much longer, I would have forgotten that it was a simulation. Also,” He leans close and whispers, “they impose psychology in there, so be careful and don’t lose yourself. They also don’t pull punches.” He rubbed his jaw where the not Merlyn had hit him. He looked back at her. “You’ll do fine.” He patted her on the shoulder, and walked to the lift.  
Once he was up, Sparrow rolled her shoulders and got ready. She got her breathing under control, and once the light was green and the door opened, she rushed out.


	2. Sparrow

Location – Gotham City?

Sparrow rushed out and she was on top of a building, staring out into the night sky over Gotham. The air even smelled like Gotham, which smelled like pollution if she was being honest. She looked behind her and saw the harbor. She looked around and based on the landmarks, namely Wayne Enterprises, she could tell she was on Miagani Island.  
She heard a crackling in her ear and she pressed a button in her mask. She heard a dispatch officer say, “All units, hostage situation at City Hall. Shots fired. No confirmed casualties. Multiple officers down.”  
Sparrow reached behind her and pulled out her grapple gun. City Hall wasn’t far from where she was now. As she swung, she heard, “Officers be advised. Known hostages include Mayor and Mrs. Gordan, Bruce and Selina Wayne, Commissioner Yindel, as well as Captain and Mrs. Drake. Suspect appears to Harvey Dent.”  
Sparrow swung and landed on the roof adjacent from City Hall. She pressed a button on her mask and she was able to highlight the shooters more easily. There appeared to be two snipers on the roof, which were responsible for the wounded officers. There were also about four or five people on the ground by the windows, but they appeared to be hostages so the police couldn’t fire or throw tear gas inside.  
Before she could make a move, she heard a beeping coming from her gauntlet. She pressed a button and Alfred came up on a screen. “Go ahead Al.”  
“Forgive me Miss, but there’s something you need to see.”  
The screen switched to show a hand held camera pointing at a man wearing, what at one point was a very nice suit, but was now burned and scarred on left side. Even his face, which at one point was quite handsome, was now burned and looked like it was melting on the left side. His eyelid had burned off along with his lips on the left side. The few hairs he had on the left side, were white and almost life less.  
The man, Two-Face, then looked at the screen and said, “Citizens of Gotham. We have been called a criminal, a psychopath, even a terrorist. Before that however, we were your District Attorney. Before, justice was fair. Now,” He gestures at a group of people and starts circling them. “we have a mayor and NOW a commissioner that allows vigilantes to harm the sick. Cops that turn a blind eye while criminals, the REAL criminals roam the streets. And billionaires,” He bends down and grabs Selina’s face. “that marry little thieves and give them what they want.” He lets go and faces the camera. “Yet, despite their crimes, we are willing to let them be.” He holds up a watch that was melted on one side. “If we don’t receive two million dollars by two am, then we will kill two hostages every two minutes after. And if we even smell a cape, EVERYONE DIES!”   
The feed cut off. Alfred popped back on screen. “What are you going to do, Miss?”  
Sparrow thought for a moment. “Send me the full schematics for City Hall. Highlight all vents and other access roots. They look like they’re in the main hall. So, plenty of vantage points for me but also a lot of open space.”  
Alfred nodded. “Right away, Miss.” His image was replaced with a blueprint of City Hall. Several vents were highlighted.  
She nodded. “Got it, thanks Al.” She cut comms. Her first hurdle would be the snipers. She counted only two. She did a quick look around to confirm, then she swung from the building she was on to the top of City Hall. She dropped down behind the two snipers, careful to land just right so she couldn’t make a sound. Then, with a single round house kick, hit one of the snipers so hard that he knocked heads with the other sniper. They both passed out, allowing Sparrow to tie them up with no issue.  
She then opened a vent above where the men were standing and entered it. Using the map Alfred gave her, she first went to the security office. After checking the security guards, who were both dead, she then patched into the live security feed. She found the main hall. She saw the hostages, with eight armed guards, and Two-Face carrying what looked like a large automatic weapon. What it was, Sparrow couldn’t tell. She set up a connection with the security cameras and her gauntlet, and left.  
She crawled through the vents until she was in the main hall. It was a large room, with two different layers. The first layer, the main floor, was open with a few statues, pieces of art, and large desk in the center. The hostages were being held by the desk and they appeared to be tied up. The second tier was mostly a large walkway around the room, with the walls showing different paintings and portraits of former mayors.   
Once she was in the room, she could hear Two-Face shouting orders to his men. She could also see that he was carrying an AR-14 rifle with M203 grenade launcher attachment. “Spread out. Search every corner of the room. The Bat will be here any minute.”  
One of his men shouted, “Why do you say that, boss? I thought you said no capes?”  
Two-Face growled, “IDIOT! Of course the Bat will show up. We just need to be ready when he does. Now SPREAD OUT!” A resounding yes sir echoed through the hall. Sparrow smiled. If they were expecting Batman, no reason for them to think otherwise. She pressed a button on her cowl and her lenses switched so she could x-ray and see through floors and other structures so she could see the armed assailants.  
She silently opened a vent and climbed onto a statue nearby. While perched there, she waited for an armed thug to walk by. When he was close enough, she aimed her grapple gun and fired at his leg. It attached and pulled him up with enough force that it knocked him out. She smiled again. She had modified her gun so that it could simulate how Batman picked thugs up and hung them from ledges. The difference was that Batman had the upper body strength to hoist people up. Sparrow had to rely on a special designed grapple gun. However, it always had the desired effect.  
Needless to say, when the man hit ground, it wasn’t quiet. He screamed before hitting his head and soaring into the air. Sparrow tied him off so he hung in the air, before grappling to another area. When she was gone, the other thugs and Two-Face all gathered under the hanging man.   
Two-Face growled again. “Leave him! The Bat’s here. We don’t want him leaving this building alive.” He points to two men. “You two! Guard the hostages! If anymore of our men go down, KILL THEM ALL!” The two men nodded. “YA HEAR THAT BATS! Any of our men get so much as a stubbed toe, AND ALL THE HOSTAGES DIE!!”   
Sparrow hung back. Her next obstacle would be to take out the two men guarding the hostages. Luckily for her, they were on the lower part of the hall while everyone else was walking around the second tier. She snuck around and landed behind the desk. The men were in front of the desk, weapons pointing at the hostages. They probably thought they were safe with the desk behind them. She reached into her belt and pulled out a spray, which she then coated the palm of her glove with. As mentioned before, she didn’t have the strength to take full grown men out on her own, but she DID have fast acting chloroform. She quietly climbed on the desk and placed her hand over the two men’s mouths. They struggled before passing out. Luckily, she held their collar so they didn’t make too much noise as they fell.  
After placing the two behind the desk and cuffing them together, she took to the ceiling again. She then proceeded to knock out the rest of the men one by one. With each takedown, the survivors became more and more scared. After all, they were locked in a room with Batman. Why wouldn’t they be scared?   
Finally, all that was left, was Two-Face. And she could tell by just looking at him that he was terrified. He kept swinging his rifle around at the slightest sound. When Two-Face noticed the last of his men were down he loaded a grenade in the launcher. “Fine Bats, you want to sneak around? Then why don’t try hiding from this!” He then started firing grenades into the room.   
Sparrow swung down from where she was perched and landed behind a statue that was close to Two-Face. She drew out a sparrow wing, aimed and threw it. It hit its mark and buried itself in Two-Face’s shoulder. He screamed and dropped the gun. Sparrow then jumped, spun, and kicked him square in the back. He hit the ground and she was there to cuff him.  
Once he was secured, she went over first to the hostages that were in the windows and freed them, and they all ran outside through the now unlocked door. Then she went over to the group in the hall and freed them. When she did, the mayor came over and shook her hand. “Thank you young lady. Not just for saving my life, but for saving my family’s lives. Though I have to admit, I was hoping to see your boss here.”  
Sparrow did her best to hide her panic. “He’s actually working on another incident on Founders Island. I was closer so I came instead.” She snuck a side glance at Bruce. “I’m sure he’ll come by later and check to make sure everyone is okay.”  
Bruce smiled at her. “I’m sure he has enough faith in your abilities and trusts you enough to know how much of a good job you did.”  
It took every muscle in Sparrow’s body to NOT smile. Mayor Gordon smiled and said, “Mr. Wayne is right. Now, how about we get out of here and let the officers…”  
He was cut off when the door slammed shut again and the lights went out. Then, a sinister voice echoed through the hall. “Yes Mr. Mayor, I was also disappointed when the Detective didn’t show himself. I was certain that the kidnapping of Gotham’s finest would force him to reveal himself. Oh well, I will happily settle for his newest protégé.” Sparrow and Bruce both looked up onto the balcony to see a tall, dark haired man with eyes that were just as dark. He wore a long emerald cloak and had a long scimitar at his side. Ra’s al Ghul sneered down at the group.  
Sparrow thought for a minute then looked over at a young man with short black hair and was standing in front of a red-haired woman with glasses. She whispered, “Tim, can you get the others out of here?”  
Tim Drake looked at her, confused. Then, with a sense of realization, he nodded. Bruce looked at her and whispered, “You can’t take him. He’s stronger than you.”  
Sparrow smiled and replied, “Then you better get out of here and get changed into your “evening” attire.” Bruce, though clearly not pleased with the situation, nodded. “Good, I’ll distract him while you do.”  
Tim started ushering the others out, but not before Selina whispered, “Be careful, Kitten.” Sparrow nodded and they all left.  
Once they were all gone, Sparrow looked up and smiled up at Ra’s. “Looks like it’s just you and me Razzy.”  
Ra’s looked at her with disdain. “You know, your presence always disgusted me. The Detective already had an heir, one that was perfectly bred to lead. Instead, he spits in my face and mates with a common thief to produce your unworthy hide.”   
Sparrow, trying to remain calm and collected, continued to smile and say, “Awe, you do think about me. I’m flattered.”  
He jumped off the balcony, landed and threw his cloak off. Revealing his bare, muscular arms, and an emerald vest with a demon head on the back. He drew out his scimitar. “I suppose I could relieve my boredom and frustration by dispatching you. At least until the detective does decide to show up.”  
Sparrow drew out her collapsible bow staff and extended it. “I hope you don’t get too bored, Razzy.” She lunged at him and he deflected her blow.  
Every thrust and swipe she threw at him, he dodged with ease. Sparrow knew she couldn’t beat him. He had been training for centuries, whereas she had only been training for about four years. The best she could do was hold him off till someone more experienced showed up.   
She jumped back and threw two stun wings at Ra’s. He side stepped one and sliced the other out of the air. She jumped and tried doing a series of quick kicks and jabs, and he again dodged or blocked them. he swung his sword at her and she was able block it.  
He finally sneered at her and said, “Enough games.” He started thrusting and slashing his sword with such speed that Sparrow could barely see it, let alone block it. He finally swung his sword and knocked her staff out of her hand. She reached into her boots and drew out two Sparrow wings. Using them almost as knives, she tried to go on the offensive. Her whole body felt heavy and she finally noticed how many cuts her suit had taken. Ra’s chopped down with his sword and it took all of Sparrow’s strength to hold it with her wings  
Ra’s just laughed. “What a feeble attempt. You really think you can beat me? ME?? The demons head? I have lived lifetimes, girl. I have trained the greatest warriors and dictators who ever lived. I have even trained your brother and father. What are you? You’re the daughter of a thief. A nobody.” Sparrow felt her blood start to boil. “All you do is leach off of others. Taking their skills and methods. Making you no better than the common thief your mother is.”  
Sparrow finally screamed, “Shut UP!!” Her attacks started to get more and more aggressive. She swung and kicked Ra’s’ sword out of his hand. Every kick, jab, or chop he threw was met with a cut from her Sparrow wings. She threw one of the wings and it buried itself deep into his leg. She then jumped and kicked him so hard that she felt his nose break under her boot. She went over and punched him hard in the side head, knocking him out.  
She stood up and spit on him. “Heal from that, jack ass.”  
She heard a hammer of a gun being cocked and turned to see Selina being held at gun point by Two-Face. Two-Face growled, “I am not leaving here empty handed. Now let me go, or I swear I’ll…”  
He didn’t even finish his threat. Sparrow saw her opening immediately and threw her wing. It whirred through the air and scratched Two-Face right over his good eye. He screamed and held his face in his hand. She then did two back flips and kicked the gun out of his hand.   
She then extended the claws in her glove and drew them across Two-Face’s face. He held his face in pain and surprise before she did a round house and hit him in the head. When he was down, she walked over to Selina.  
She asked, “Are you okay?”  
Selina smiled and nodded. She then got a blank look in her face and said in a mechanical voice, “Simulation complete; Data collected” The room flashed white and it was a large, empty, white room. She looked and where Ra’s, Two-Face, and Selina were stood three robots with blank faces.  
She then heard Garfield over an intercom say, “Very good Sparrow, now come on up so we can get the next participant in there.” She nodded and walked to the now open door.  
When she walked pass the door, on her right was a small shelf that had her bow staff, grapple gun, and all the Sparrow wings she threw.   
As she was putting everything back in her belt, Superboy walked over to her. “Hey, how was it?”  
Sparrow sighed and shook her head. “I lost my temper. I can’t believe they got inside my head like that. I shouldn’t have let them get at me like that. I’m better than that. I…”  
Superboy flew over and hugged her. “You did fine, don’t over think it or you’ll drive yourself insane.” Sparrow grunted in his shoulder, which made him smile.  
She looked up at him. “I forget that you’re two years older than me sometimes.”  
He smiles and lets her go. “Now get up there so I can get started.” She nodded and left. He stood in front of the door and started to hover. He took several deep breaths to calm himself. He hoped that Sparrow couldn’t tell how nervous he was. Then the light turned green, the door opened, and he flew through the door.


	3. Superboy

Location – Metropolis?

Superboy flew out into the Metropolis air space. Looking around, he would believe he was back home. Everything from the sounds to smells were believable. Even with his super senses he could hardly tell the difference. When he looked back, all he saw was the daily planet. He smiled to himself and started fly around the city. It seemed pretty quiet at first, then he heard a loud explosion coming from downtown.  
Fast as he could, he flew straight for the sound of the explosion. When he got there, it was chaos. There was debris and large chunks of building everywhere. He heard screaming coming from under some debris and flew over to it. He got a good grip on it and lifted it up, showing a family.  
Once he saw they weren’t hurt he shouted, “Get out of there!” The wife helped her husband out while the kids ran out. Once they were clear he set the rubble back down. He looked around till he found a police officer. He flew over to them and asked, “What happened?”  
The officer, a young woman, looked at him and said, “We’re not sure. Something shot out of the sky and tore through several buildings.”  
Superboy looked around. “Where did it land? I didn’t see a crater.”  
The officer shook her head. “That’s because it didn’t.” Superboy looked confused until the cop pointed up in the sky. When he looked up, he saw what looked like a white man with black har riding a flying motorcycle. He had a short rifle in his hand that he aimed and fired at large building. A red laser fired from it and destroyed a building. Superboy watched as a large chunk of building started falling and a group of kids stood frozen and screaming in its path.  
He flew right at the falling building. He didn’t have enough time to save all of the kids but he could catch the debris. He caught it with a loud grunt. One of the kids looked up and shouted, “Hey look! It’s Superman!”  
One of the other kids, a little girl, shook her head. “Nuh uh! That’s Superboy! He’s much cuter.”  
Superboy, still holding the chunk of building shouted, “Go! Get out from underneath!” The kids all nodded and ran out from underneath. Superboy gently set the rubble down and turned to look at the shooter. He was looking right at Superboy.  
Then he heard him shout, “Superman! I’m calling you out!” Superboy groaned and flew out to meet the mysterious biker. When he got closer, Superboy could see that the man had bright red eyes, a black walrus moustache, and long, greasy black hair. The man was smoking a cigar that was omitting green smoke.   
He looked Superboy up and down. “I called out SuperMAN. The Main Man doesn’t fight children.”  
Superboy cocked an eyebrow at him. “The Main Man? What is this? A 90’s wrestling match?”  
The man puffed out his chest. “I am Lobo! The greatest bounty hunter the galaxy has ever known. And I am here for the Superman.” He lowers his rifle at Superboy, whose arms are crossed. “Now call him out here, or so help me I will blow you, and this whole stinking town off of the face of…”   
Before he could finish, using his heat vision, Superboy melted the gun in his hand. Lobo screamed and dropped the now lump of metal. He turns to look at Superboy, his sneer exposing is yellow teeth. Superboy smiles and says, “What’s the plan now, Main Man?”  
Lobo reached behind him and pulled out a long chain with a savage looking hook on the end. “Usually, I don’t hunt children, but for you I will HAPPILY make an exception.” He twirled his hook and swung it at Superboy. What he wasn’t expecting was how hard the hook hit him. When it struck, Superboy went flying into a rooftop. He hit the ground and skidded across the length of the roof.  
Lobo landed his bike on the roof, stepped off, his hook dragging on the ground, and walked up to Superboy with a sneer on his face. “What’s the matter? Finding hard to come back with any smart-ass comments?” Superboy rolled to his knees and coughed. “Ya know, I bet if I beat the hell out of you, the big blue guy will come down. Why don’t we test that theory?” He then swung a kick right in the center of Superboy and sent him flying. He then latched him his hook, and brought him straight back down.  
Superboy coughed as Lobo walked up to him. “Just as I thought. Nothing like him. You’re not even fun to smack around. Come on kid, give the Main Man a show. At least put up a fight.”  
He swings the hook down again, but this time Superboy caught the hook in his hand. He looks up, smiling, at a now worried Lobo. “Okay, but remember, you asked for it.” He then yanked the chain hard and Lobo came soaring towards him. Superboy held out his arm and caught Lobo in the chest. Knocking the wind out of him.  
It took a minute but eventually Lobo got back up and squared up against Superboy. Superboy did the same and the two started exchanging blows. With every hit that Superboy lands, Lobo hits back. However, as the fight continued, Superboy started to feel himself slow down just a bit. Lobo noticed it too and smiled. He caught Superboy’s punch and hit him square in the jaw. Superboy soared and landed on his back.  
Lobo cracked his neck and started walking towards him. “Whatcha got now little man? You’re clearly not as strong as your old man, so what’s the plan know?”  
Superboy gasps for a minute, then exhales a gust of super breath and knocks Lobo back. Leaving little icicles in his beard. Superboy stands up and looks Lobo in the eye. “I think I’m going to hurt you now.” He then flew at high speeds with his arms outstretched. He then hit Lobo so hard he felt ribs crack. As Lobo layed there, gasping for air, Superboy leaned down and said, “I’m not Superman, I don’t WANT to be Superman. I’m me, and guess what. I just beat you. What do you have to say to that, Main Man?”   
Lobo looked at him, a blank look on his face, and said, “Simulation complete; Data collected” Then there was a bright flash of light and Superboy was standing in a large empty room, with a blank faced robot lying on the ground in front of him.   
He then heard Garfield over the speakers. “Very good Superboy. Come on up so we can set up for the next participant.” Superboy nodded and hovered over to the door. As soon as the door closed and the light went from green to red, Superboy dropped to the floor and groaned. That robot hit him harder than he thought it would.  
“Are you alright, new friend?” Superboy jumped up, then relaxed when he saw Nightstar hovering over him.  
He groaned, then smiled. “I’m alright. Just a little battered.”  
Nightstar looked at him concerned. “Maybe Papa Bruce made it too rough.” Superboy looked at her confused. “Papa Bruce made that robot with Superman. That’s what Cousin He…, I mean Sparrow said anyway.”  
Superboy sighed. “Of course, they did.” Nightstar looked at him confused. He smiled and shook his head. “It’s nothing. Go break a leg.”  
She smiled and clenched her fists in excitement. “I will! I will break ALL the legs!” Superboy looked at her concerned. She giggled. “It is a joke, Friend Jon. Oops, I mean Superboy.”  
Superboy smiled and patted her head. “You’ll be great.” She smiled and he grabbed her foot and pulled her down as she started floating up. He nodded at her and flew off to the lift. Before it went up, he looked at her and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up back. She wasn’t entirely sure what it meant, but she assumed it was encouraging.   
Once he was up, she smacked her cheeks and got serious. She hovered in place and waited, and waited, and waited. Maybe it was because she was excited, but it seemed to take a while. She looked up and shouted, “I’m ready.” Nothing. “Hello?” Then the light turned green and she smiled and flew out, shouting out a Tamaranean war cry.


	4. Nightstar

Location – Bludhaven?

Nightstar flew straight out, and had to stop herself. She looked around and saw she was flying above Bludhaven. She turned to look behind her and couldn’t see anything, just clouds. She flew around for bit before going down closer to the city.  
As she flew, she muttered, “Okay Mar’i, bad guys. If I were a bad guy where would I…?” She stopped when she saw several police cars surrounding a building. “There!”  
She flew down and landed by one of the officers shouting orders. He didn’t see her right away, so she cleared her throat. He spun around, then looked down at her. She floated up so she was eye level. She then spoke with a “hero” voice. “What seems to be the problem officer?” She hoped that was right. She saw clip on YouTube of Superman saying that, so she assumed ALL heroes said that.   
The officer, though shocked, cleared his throat and said, “Hostage situation. Looks to be about seven gunmen holding several people hostage.”  
Nightstar looked at him concerned. “Several people?”  
The cop nodded, confused. “Well yeah, the museum was holding an event for the mayor and several other officials had to be present.” Nightstar looked and saw they were standing in front of the Bludhaven Museum. Before the officer could continue though, Nightstar shot straight up and went in through one of the upper windows.  
As soon as she burst through one of the windows, seven men wearing ski masks, all armed turned to look at her. She searched and saw who she thought was the mayor tied with a large group of people.   
One of the gunmen came up and pointed a gun at Nightstar. “Alright kid, how did you get in here.” She didn’t respond. “Hey kid! Clean your ears out! I said…”  
Nightstar then grabbed the guns barrel and melted it using the purple energy in her hands. She looked up at the gunman, her eyes glowing. “You are NOT a nice person!” She then flashed a starbolt at him, throwing him several feet away. She squeaked and shouted, “Sorry! Are you okay?” The man groaned. “Oh good.”  
She then heard several men shout to open fire. She got wide eyed and ducked behind a large stone pedestal, the bullets hitting it and flying around it. She got to her knees and took a breath. “Okay Mar’i, you got this. Just wait for the clicks.” After several seconds, the rifles all made clicking sounds. She then looked up and smiled. “Showtime.”  
She flew out from her hiding spot and fired three starbolts at four of the gunmen, launching them back. She then landed and one of the men ran up and tried to hit her and he she caught his hand. He struggled to get free but couldn’t.   
She looked at him almost disappointed. “You know, you shouldn’t hit girls. It’s rude.” She then threw him across the room, knocking him out against the wall. She then folded her arms and thought. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.” She then heard a gun being cocked and fired behind her. She felt the bullets hit her and start bouncing off. She turned and looked at the shooter. She hovered towards him, a look of pure terror on his face. She got up to him, her eyes glowing green and her hands glowing purple energy.   
The man threw the gun on the ground and held his hands up. “I would like to go to jail now, please.”  
Nightstar’s hands and eyes stopped glowing and she smiled. “Wonderful! The police are just outside those doors.  
The man nodded and ran out the door. When he was outside, she heard him shout, “Please arrest me! Don’t let me back in there!” She shrugged and flew over to the hostages. She freed them and they ran out. As soon as she saw they were all cleared, she smiled, and left the same way she came in.   
As she flew out of the building, she stopped and looked around. Was she supposed to do something else? As she thought this, she felt a large bolt of energy hit her in the back and sent her flying towards a large abandoned warehouse. She fell through and steadied herself. She turned to look at whoever shot her with.  
Floating above the opening Nightstar had just made, was a woman with long black hair, with a streak of white on the side, a suit that was black with dark metal spikes on her shoulders, a Tamaranean chest plate, knee high metal boots, and glowing purple eyes. Komand’r, or Blackfire, smirked down at Nightstar.  
She then said, “Dear, sweet niece, did you miss Aunty?” Nightstar growled and shot a purple star bolt at her, which she dodged. “Now that was rude, after all I did come all this way to just see you.” Nightstar flew at her, her hands in front of her. She grabbed her by the shoulder pads and started flying as fast as she could. She felt the wind whip past her and she looked to see the abandoned pier. When they got close enough, Nightstar spun in air and threw Blackfire with all of her strength at the beach. With a loud bang, Blackfire hit the ground.   
Floating down onto the beach, Nightstar looked into the hole. “Hello? Please be unconscious.” With another loud bang, Blackfire shot out of the hole.   
With a wicked smile on her face, Blackfire said, “I’m impressed, even my naïve little sister couldn’t surprise me like that. Maybe there is a bit of Tameran in you.”  
Nightstar swallowed and tried to fly, but she had been frozen in place. She was scared and that was affecting her now. She tried speak with confidence, but her voice felt so small. “You…You better clear out of here. Or…Or I’ll get mad.” Why couldn’t she stop shaking?  
Blackfire laughed. “Oh how adorable. Are you ACTUALLY trying to be tough right now? Do you know who I am, girl? I am a warrior-maiden with Citadel. I am the one who brought Tameran to its knees. I am the TRUE Queen of Tameran.” She flew down and grabbed Nightstar by the hair and started flying up. Nightstar tried to break loose, but Blackfire was far stronger. “And what are you? A blemish on our once great world! A nobody.” Nightstar continued to struggle. She was trying to fly, but for whatever reason, no joyous thoughts were coming to mind. “Are you ready to die, half breed?”  
Nightstar looked her in the eyes and screamed, “No!” All at once, there was a bright purple flash. So bright that it knocked Blackfire back. She hit the edge of the pier hard, and slid down.   
When she landed, she got a blank look on her face and said, “Simulation complete; Data collected”. The room flashed white and returned to its normal state. Nightstar then slowly floated down, and landed softly on her knees, exhausted. The automatic doors swung open and she saw everyone running towards her. She grabbed her hair and pulled it over her face, clearly embarrassed.  
When she got close, Sparrow dropped to her knees and held Nightstar by the shoulders. “Are you okay? What was that?” She didn’t respond.  
Superboy rubbed the back of his head. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”  
Aqualad looked over at Garfield, who was genuinely worried. “When you worked with her mother, did she have an ability like that?”   
Garfield nodded. “Yes, but she was much older and had training to support it.”  
Ha-ha came forward and knelt down next to Sparrow. Sparrow shot her a look that made the room colder, but didn’t say anything. Ha-ha then asked Nightstar, “You aren’t hurt, are you? Physically I mean.” She shook her head, her hair still hiding her face. “Well that’s good at least.”  
Both her and Sparrow looked up when they felt Speedy put his hands on their shoulders. “Why don’t we give her some space?” They both nodded, stood up, and walked back. Speedy then knelt down, setting his bow next to him. He then, very gently, parted Nightstar’s hair. He could see tear streaks running down her face.   
He then whispered, “That was scary, wasn’t it?” She looks up at him. “It’s alright to get scared.”  
She sniffed. “Really?”  
He nodded. “Oh yeah. I was scared when I went in. I bet we all were.” She looked down at her feet. “You want Sparrow to take you to your room?” She shook her head. “You want to talk to your Mom?” She looked up at him. “It’s alright if you want to. No one here will think any less of you.” She nods and he looks over at Garfield. “Would it be alright if she made a quick phone call?”   
Garfield nodded and Sparrow said, “I’ll take her outside.” Ha-ha goes to help Nightstar up, but her hand is slapped out of the way by Sparrow. “I got this. I don’t need YOUR help” Ha-ha takes a step back, a hurt look on her face.  
Sparrow looks over at Garfield. “If you want, go ahead and run the next simulation.”  
Garfield nodded. “Yes, we only have two left anyway. So,” He turns to look at Aqualad and Ha-ha. “who would like to go next?”  
The two exchanged looks before Aqualad stepped forward. “I will go.”  
Garfield nodded and they all left the chamber. With exception to Sparrow and Nightstar, the rest went up the lift to the observation platform. Leaving Aqualad in front of the door. Superboy stopped like he was going to say something, but changed his mind and kept walking. Aqualad smiled as he left. He then got in a runner’s starting stance and waited for the door to open. Once the light switched to green, he shot forward.


	5. Aqualad

Location – Amnesty Bay?

Aqualad stopped and saw that he was standing on pier at night. He quickly checked his surroundings and established that he was in Amnesty Bay. He looked around and, with his special night vision, saw that there was a large cargo ship by the bay. What was odd was that there were crew members unloading it in the middle of the night. He dove into the water and swam towards the ship.  
When he got close enough to the ship, he could see an open porthole. Silently, he scaled the anchor chain till he was close to port hole. Then he leaped onto edge and climbed into the port hole. He looked around and saw that he was in a large cargo area. He saw three men in long, dark coats and hoods talking on the far side and stayed low. He moved around until he saw eight men all tied together. Aqualad moves over to them and ungags the one that looked in charge.  
When he does, he holds his finger to his lips then whispers, “What happened?”  
The man, with a thick Spanish accent, said, “They attacked us about a week ago. Killed some of my men, and took control. They loaded those crates on and threw some of us down here.”  
Aqualad looked over at one of the crates. “Do you know what is in them?”  
The man shook his head. “No senior. We were already down here when they loaded them.”  
Aqualad pulls out a small knife and gently pries the lid off of one of the crates and looks inside. It was full of Atlantean tech, mainly weapons. Aqualad lowers the lid and goes back to the hostages. Using his knife, he cuts the bindings off of everyone. “Wait here. When the coast is clear, I want you to run to the Harbormaster and have them call the Coast Guard. But not until I tell you the coast is clear, understood?”  
The captain translates to his crew and they all nod. One of the men whispers something in Spanish and the Captain translates, “He says that there at least seven armed guards on deck, the men loading and unloading are crew members.”  
Aqualad nodded and crept around. He first got to the three men on the same level as him. He knew that if they heard him, they would kill the other hostages that were unloading the cargo. It would be slower, but he would have to pick them off quietly. He pulled out his water bearer from his side and charged it up.  
He crept up behind the three men and, with a flick of his wrist, a long water whip came out of the end of his water bearer. With another flick and a loud snap he knocked one of the guards to the ground, startling the others. The whip then quickly transformed into a bow staff, with water coming out of both ends of the bearer. He charged towards the two stunned guards and with a quick movement, knocked both out.  
Aqualad heard a groan from the one he took out with his whip and knelt down to check on him. When he turned him however, he couldn’t hide his surprise. The man’s face was very fishlike. With yellow eyes and grey skin. He checked the other two and saw they were the same. Not only that, they were all identical. Down to the smallest detail.  
He tied and gagged the three creatures and motioned for the hostages to come forward. A few stopped and stared at the creatures, muttering under their breath. When they were all at the base of the stairs, Aqualad held out his hand to stop them. At the top of the stairs, there were two more of those creatures, both armed with spears.  
Aqualad turned to look at the captain. “Once I knock those four out, I’ll shout for you and your men to move. You’ll grab the rest of your men and get off of this boat, do you understand?”  
The captain nodded. “What about you, senior? What will you do?”  
Aqualad smiled and started creeping up the stairs. When he was close to the two, he swung his bow staff and knocked them out. He heard a hissing and saw two more of the creatures charging him, spears in hand. They were fast and fluid with their movements, but Aqualad was faster. They each swung down on him, and he was able to block them. He caught one of them in the stomach, making them double over. The second locked his spear with Aqualad’s staff. With a quick thought, one end of the staff snaked around the creature’s leg, and using all of his strength, Aqualad jerked him up. Making the creature hit the ground hard.  
Aqualad shouted and the captain ran out with his crew. They grabbed the other crew members, who were cowering behind some boxes, and all ran off the boat. Thanking Aqualad as they ran past him.  
When they were off, Aqualad went and tied up the remaining four. He looked and again saw they were all identical. He heard something move behind him and stood up. “I thought you were rotting in an Atlantean jail somewhere?”  
He turned to face a being that looked similar to what he just fought. Except instead of grey, he was an emerald green, was more muscular, and held a large trident that was a dark metal and covered in algae. When he smiled, he showed his sharp, yellow teeth. “No prison can hold Trident. Trident is perfection, and perfection cannot be caged.”  
Aqualad gestured to the creatures tied up. “And these?”  
Trident grunted. “Imperfect copies made to do our bidding. Copies which will be dealt with,” He lowered the trident. “after we have dealt with your unworthy hide.” A large bolt of lightning shot out, hitting Aqualad and throwing him back.  
He grunted, rubbed the spot on his chest that the bolt hit, and stood up. “If it is a fight you seek,” He twisted his water bearer, which clicked and became two separate handles. “then it is a fight you shall receive.” A short blade came from one of the handles and a whip from the other. He then charged at Trident.  
Trident lowered his trident, but before he could fire Aqualad swung his whip and with a loud snap, forced the trident up. Making it fire at the sky. Aqualad readjusted his grip and swung the whip at Trident’s feet, making him loose balance. Aqualad saw his opportunity and swung the blade at the trident. The blade locked with the trident, making Trident slide back. The whip turned into a second blade swung at Trident. He was blocked and Trident swung at him. Aqualad locked his blade with the trident, struggling to keep it down.  
Trident smirked. “How do you hope to beat us? US! Who are perfection incarnate? You are nobody. A whelp with a stolen mantle. So answer us, how will you beat us?”  
Aqualad smiled. “Like this.” Two vents then opened on his water pack, and two streams of water shaped like tentacles came out and wrapped around Trident. Restricting his movement and forcing him to drop his weapon. Aqualad’s water bearers beeped as the water retracted. He clicked it back together and put it on his hip.  
He smiled at Trident who was struggling against the tentacles. “Sometimes it takes creative thinking to beat a perfectionist. What say you to that, Trident?”  
Trident stopped struggling, got a blank stare, and said in a mechanical voice, “Simulation complete; Data collected”. And with a flash of light, Aqualad saw he was holding a faceless robot in his tentacles. He lowered the robot down and retracted the tentacles.  
Over the intercom, he heard Garfield say, “Very well done Aqualad. Now let’s have Ha-ha go and we’ll be done for the day.” Aqualad nodded and walked to the door.  
When he walked through the door, he saw Sparrow and Nightstar walking in through the entrance. Nightstar saw him and hid her face, clearly embarrassed.  
Aqualad smiled. “Are you better now, young one?” She nodded.  
Sparrow said, “I’m sorry we missed your session. How did it go?”  
Aqualad nods. “I feel it went well. A little rough in a few spots, but well enough. And there is no need to apologize.” He smiles down at Nightstar. “Some things are far more important.”  
Sparrow nods and smiles back. “We’ll head up then.” Aqualad nods and starts to follow them.  
As they get to the lift, it comes down with Ha-ha on it. She sees Nightstar, smiles and asks, “How are you feeling, kiddo?”  
Before Nightstar answers, Sparrow says. “She’s fine.” She then pushes past Ha-ha, and her and Nightstar go up the lift.  
Ha-ha sighs. “So pleasant.”  
Aqualad places his hand on her shoulder. “She will come around. Just be patient with her.” Ha-ha nods. “Try to not let it distract you. The training requires your full attention.”  
Ha-ha smiles and nods. “I’ll be alright. Now get up there so you can see true talent at work.” Aqualad smiles at her again, gets on the lift, and disappears.  
Ha-ha goes up to the door and stretches. She instinctively goes to turn on a camera on the side of her helmet, but stops herself. Thinking it wouldn’t do good during a simulation. She then sees the light above the door turn green, she gets her rollerblades out, and skates in.


	6. Ha-ha

Location – Star City?

Ha-ha skates out and stops. She looks and sees she’s in an alley way. She pokes her head out and sees she’s in the upper district of Star City and it’s late at night.  
She nods to herself. “Not bad. Not bad at all.” She skates out and starts looking around.  
She stops when she notices a door open to a museum. She looks in and sees a large sign that says, ‘Puzzles Through the Ages Exhibit’. Ha-ha clicks her heals and the skates retract, and she walks in quietly. As she got closer in, she could hear noise and whispering. She finally made it to where the Puzzles exhibit was and saw three large men throwing puzzles into a bag.  
One of the goons almost dropped a puzzle and Ha-ha heard someone shout, “Careful with that you insensitive clod! Each of these pieces is worth a fortune and if any of them gets so much as a scratch I’ll see to it that you pay.” Ha-ha looked and saw a man in a green trench coat, purple tie, a green bowler hat with a emerald question mark stitched into it, and a gold cane with a question at head. Edward Nygma, The Riddler picked up one of the puzzles, turned it over in his hand, and said with disgust, “So childish.”  
Ha-ha sighed and pulled out something that looked like an old touch phone. She pressed a few icons and a soft beep sounded from the phone, getting faster when she walks in a certain direction.  
She shakes her head. “Always with the explosives, Eddie.” As she walked, following the beeps, she mutters, “Everyone else gets assassins, aliens, and monsters. Then I get stuck with the homicidal narcissist, with an unhealthy obsession for puzzles.” She stops in the Egyptian exhibit, in front of a Sphinx. She pulls out a pink pocket knife and pulls a panel off the side of the statue, exposing a device that had several wires and a keypad on it. She pulls out a cord, and connects the phone with the bomb. She taps a few different icons and a riddle appears on the phone. ‘What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three in the evening?’ As she was about to type her answer, she stopped and thought for a minute. Remembering who she was dealing with and typed a different answer. The phone screen flashed saying deactivated, then flashed saying second device activated. She taps a few icons and it deactivates.  
She smiles again and shakes her head. “Not even a puzzle for the second device. You’re slipping in your old age Eddie.” She then puts the device back in her pocket and rushes back into the puzzle hall. She saw the men still in there. She bursts in through the doors, pushing them both wide open.  
She swings Funny Bone onto her shoulder and smiles. “Hey boys! Whatcha doin?”  
The goons all look up, shocked by her entrance. Riddler shouts, “Quiet you fools! She cannot possibly harm us.”  
Ha-ha points Funny Bone at Riddler. “I disagree. I am almost certain that I can harm you, and then some. Just cause you’re irritating.”  
Riddler laughs. “I’m sure you could, but first a riddle.” Ha-ha roles her eyes. “Riddle me this: What is pink and blue and is choking on red?”  
Ha-ha shrugs. “I give up.”  
Riddler and his goons throw on gas masks. “You, while your lungs fill with blood from my poisonous gas!”  
Ha-ha’s eyes widen. “Your what now?” With his mask on, Riddler holds up his cane and presses a switch. Almost instantly, canasters around the room start hissing as green gas fills the room. Riddler laughs as Ha-ha is enveloped in the gas. Riddler stops laughing to try and hear her choke for air.  
In the gas, he and the goons heard Ha-ha, but she wasn’t choking. Instead they heard her say, sarcastically, “Cough cough! Oh no! Please don’t kill me! It hurts so bad!” She then back flips out of the gas and kicks two of the guys right in the face, breaking both of their noses. The third rushes in and swings at her. She backflips away from him, making him miss every hit. She knows that she can’t beat the men based on strength, but she could be smarter than them. She then uses his forward momentum and flips him onto his back, knocking the air out of him. She jumps on his chest and hits him on the side of the head, knocking him out.  
From behind she heard one of the two growl. She looks and sees him standing up, a big bat in hand. She smiles at him. “Ooh! I got one of those too!” She swings Funny Bone and gets a two-handed grip on it. “En garde!” The man shouts and runs at her. He swings at her, but she was able to brush it off. When he swings down, she steps on the bat, pinning it down. She then swung Funny Bone and hit the guy’s arm. The man dropped his bat and fell to the floor, screaming in pain.  
Ha-ha swings Funny Bone onto her shoulder and turns to look at the final guy, who was just getting up. He growls at her and charges her. She stays right where she is, unmoving. When he was close enough, she side stepped and he ran straight into one of the stone pedestals. Knocking himself out.  
She then steps over him and looks at Riddler leaning against Funny Bone. “Looks like Larry, Curly, and Mo couldn’t make the cut. So, it’s just you and me, jolly green.”  
Riddler growls and holds up his cane. “Don’t be so sure of yourself. If you take one step towards me, I’ll activate a bomb that will level the whole building. So, unless you want to be crushed to death, you’ll walk away.”  
Ha-ha rests her chin in her hand. “Go ahead.” Riddler looks at her, genuinely confused. “Blow us up. I got nowhere to be.”  
Riddler, now visibly angry, shouts, “Do you not understand what is happening here?? I will KILL US!”  
Ha-ha shrugs at him. “I heard you, but I don’t think you’ll do it. You’re kind of a bitch like that.”  
Riddler shouts, “I am the Riddler! I will not be insulted by a child!” He presses a button, and nothing happens.  
He presses it a few times before Ha-ha shouts, “Performance issues Eddy? I heard that happens at your age. Don’t worry, they make a pill for that.” He presses another button and still nothing. “Let me guess, second device isn’t working either right?” Riddler looks up at her, and she starts to slowly walk towards him. “I forgot to mention, I may have found your device and shut it off. Little insulted the second device wasn’t protected, but I don’t think you were anticipating someone finding it. The first one made me think though. So, kudos for that.”  
Riddler, now scared and angry, shouts, “How? How did you solve my Riddle?”  
Ha-ha smiles, still walking towards him. “With a working knowledge of a homicidal narcissist’s thinking. I knew you wouldn’t make it obvious; riddle of the sphinx is the most well-known riddle of them all. So I tried thinking like you, and it turned out to work. The original answer, Man, was obviously wrong. So I went with the sick answer, a baby. Four when it starts, two when you cut the legs off, and three when it has a crutch to walk. I didn’t want to be right, but I was.”  
She was now in front of Riddler, who was shaking with anger. He swung his cane at her, which she knocked out of the way with Funny Bone. He then said, “You’re nothing more that the brat of a former villain. That’s how you know how we think, cause deep down, it’s in your DNA.”  
Ha-ha hits him in the face, and he falls to the ground, writhing in pain. She shrugs and says, “True, and yet you’re the one on the ground with a busted nose and ego. So who’s the real winner now?”  
Riddler stops moving, and with a blank stare says, “Simulation complete; Data collected”. And the room returns to normal in a flash of white. Ha-ha looks and sees three of the “goons” lying there.  
She heard Garfield say, “Well done Ha-ha. We’re done for the day so everyone has the rest of the afternoon off.”  
Ha-ha nods and walks out the room.

Location – Titans Tower

Ha-ha steps out and everyone was already standing there. She walked up and asked, “So what did you think?”  
Before anyone could answer, Nightstar rushes forward and starts complimenting Ha-ha. “That was amazing! How fought those three guys and knocked one out without even touching him. How you fought that one guy with the bat and beat him. And loved how the gas didn’t affect you and you flipped out of it and kicked those two guys and…”  
Superboy caught her before she could fly into the ceiling. Aqualad looked at her, smiling. “It was most impressive. How did the gas not affect you?”  
Ha-ha shrugs. “Something I got from my Mom. When her and my other Mom first met, she was given one of the best antitoxins, so she was immune to all poisons. That mixed with my Mom being Poison Ivy, not a lot of toxins will affect me.” Everyone but Sparrow seemed impressed.  
Garfield then walked up and cleared his throat. “Alright everyone. That’s all for today. For the next few days, I will be meeting with you to discuss different trainings methods. For now, though, feel free to set up your rooms and explore the tower. Dismissed!” And he turned to leave.  
Everyone else started filing out. Nightstar was chatting with Ha-ha at a hundred miles an hour and Speedy was asking Aqualad about how his water bearer worked.  
Superboy flew over to Sparrow, smiling. “Not a bad team if you ask me.” Sparrow nodded. “Even Ha-ha was impressive.” She shot him a dirty look and started walking. He followed behind her. “I don’t understand what your problem is with her. What is it about her that you don’t like?”  
Sparrow stopped and looked at him. “There’s more to her than anyone, even the League, knows about. She’s gonna slip, and I’ll be there to catch it.” Superboy looks at her concerned. “Just keep an eye on her. She can’t be trusted.” She turned and left. Leaving Superboy both worried and concerned. Not just for his friend, but also for his team.


End file.
